Torchwing's Story
by Torchwingfan176
Summary: Enter a new world of fantasy in the Five Island Chronicles Series. First book. When a young dragon is forced to choose sides between dragons or dinosaurs, things get complicated and which side he chooses could affect his entire life.
1. Chapter 1 The Loss

Torchwing's Story

Preface

This is the preface for Torchwing's story, the first book in my Five Island Chronicles Series. There are a few things you need to know before you read the first chapter of my book. The Five Islands is a group of islands that is like a compass. There is a large island in the center of the group called Destiny Island, but is known as the Middle Island to the natives that live there. The rest are the Hope (North), Forbidden (South), Refuge (East), and Hidden (West) Islands that are spaced evenly around Destiny Island.

This first story takes place on Destiny Island. These islands are full of mythical creatures such as dragons, the main characters of my stories, dinosaurs (strange I know,), and much more.

To wrap this up I want to talk about this first story. In this book dragons and dinosaurs are enemies. I know they are pretty much the same thing, but in this book, they are not. It's explained later. This is what makes this story interesting. I don't want to give anything away, so this is the end of this preface. I hope you enjoy this book and please write R & R. Enjoy!!

Chapter 1

The Loss

It was a beautiful, sunny, summer day on Destiny Island. Everything seemed to be just fine. A large crow swooped through the sky, letting the wind carry him wherever. It was perfect flying weather, and he didn't have a care in the world. Suddenly, the crow heard a loud screech and the sounds of battle coming from somewhere below him.

He descended swiftly, pulling his wings close to his body. Soon he could again see the world below beyond the sky and quickly realized where the sounds had come from. The crow landed in a tall pine tree and watched the battle taking place below him.

Two large Green Dragons were in a ferocious fight with two velociraptors. The dragons were covered in hard green scales that glistened in the noon sun. Apparently they were mates. They stood on the edge of a rocky cliff trying to protect a small, green egg that was next to them.

The male let out a roar and charged at the dinosaurs calling to his mate at the same time, " Quick, take the egg and get out of here. I'll deal with these monsters!"

But the female was stubborn and answered, " No! I'm not leaving without you!"

When he realized that she wouldn't budge, he made a daring move. He flew over to the other side of the velociraptors, leaving his wife vulnerable. This way he could try to force the dinosaurs off of the cliff. He breathed a jet a red flame at them. Unfortunately the monsters completely ignored him and went straight for the egg.

The female was so startled that she knocked the egg (which had been right behind her back leg) right off of the cliff. She let out a cry of anguish. As she did, her husband came up behind her and knocked the velociraptors right out of his way. When he reached her he asked breathlessly, " Where's the egg? Is it all right? Did they get it?"

His wife sobbed and cried. " No. It fell off the cliff. I accidentally pushed it off! We have to find it!"

But by that time the velociraptors had recovered and were slowly coming towards the pair. The male dragon looked around then finally said sadly, " The egg's probably smashed by now. Even if it's not, if we tried looking for it, we'd lead those beasts right to it. Our best chance is to leave and hope that the egg's O.K. and that they won't find it. Maybe someone else will and save it."

The female knew there was little hope of either of those things happening, but knew her husband was right. " Let's go," she sighed and they took off into the sky, away from the dinosaurs and away from the egg.

When they were out of sight, the crow too took flight and soared away, wondering what would become of them all, especially the little egg.


	2. Chapter 2 Suprises

Chapter 2

Surprises

While all of this was happening, two dinosaurs were walking in the woods completely unaware of what was going on almost right above them. One was an old styracosaurus named Nurse Laura. She looked a lot like a triceratops, but she had eight horns on her head and was blue in color. The other was a male ankylosaurus named Spike, her assistant. Spike was a dark green and had a hard shell on his back covered in spikes. He was a mute dinosaur, but even though he couldn't speak, he could still make mumbling or gurgling type noises. Only Laura understood him.

That day the two friends had gone into the Illusion Woods outside of the dinosaur town of Citadel to gather some herbs and plants they needed. The woods were dangerous, filled with strange, ferocious creatures. They seemed to stick mainly to the deeper parts of the woods though, so Laura and Spike knew they were safe on the fringes.

Laura stopped by a small, clear pond surrounded by lush green grass. She told Spike, " O.K. Here's a list of all the things we need to find. It's O.K. if you don't find all of these things, but I really need sphagnum moss. You know I need it for cuts and bruises. Now c'mon, we'll split up. It'll go faster. If you find anything, just call. After all, you know I don't like to stay in these woods that long. Spike nodded and started searching around.

Little did he know that he would find something. For the green dragons' egg had landed in a soft bed of moss surrounding a large aspen tree not far from him. Spike sniffed around through the thick grass until he came to the tree. He clawed around in the moss surrounding it until the hard shell of the egg was visible. He stared at it then tapped it lightly with his paw. Nothing happened. He rolled it around in the grass. It still did nothing. Seeing that it was no threat, he let out a loud cry and kept it up until Laura was at his side, breathless.

She gasped for air. " What is it Spike? Are you O.K? What happened?"

Spike walked over to the egg and motioned towards it. Not being able to see it too clearly from where she was, Laura went over and inspected it. She carefully lifted it up and weighed the egg in her paw, realizing that the shell was as hard as a rock, but yet the egg was pretty light.

" It looks like some kind of strange egg," She observed. " It must have come from an animal that lives here. I wonder what it is?"

Laura glanced about her and realized whatever creature has lost the egg was probably long gone or it would have come and tried to protect the valuable egg. " Well whoever dropped this isn't around anymore. I'd hate to think of a poor, innocent creature dying before it even has a chance to see the world. Let's take it back to Citadel and try to get it to hatch."

" Spike wasn't too sure about the idea. Who knew what could be in the egg. What if it was a creature that could easily turn on them and kill them? But Spike knew that Laura was determined to keep the precious egg, so taking his chances, he nodded and mumbled his agreement. Smiling, Laura took the egg and put it in her small basket.

Right before they left, Laura realized that they again had almost forgotten the sphagnum moss. Spike recalled he had seen it somewhere, then remembered that the egg had been nestled in a patch of it. Running back to the spot, he ripped out a huge chunk of it and put it in a basket. Now they could go.

They strode back quickly to Citadel knowing that an egg could only survive for so long without warmth, and they had no idea how long it had been sitting in the moss patch. Soon the pair was close enough to the town that they could see the tall, black walls of a fortress protruding through the trees.

Even though Citadel was just a small dinosaur town, it had a ruler. His name was King Claw, a temperamental and fierce spinosaurus who preferred to stay behind his fortress's sturdy walls. He looked like a T-rex, but had a large spiky spine covering his back. He craved power, so even though Citadel was small, he built a castle just to make himself feel like a king. His advisor, Redscales, a gigantic red lizard whose scales were as red as fire, always accompanied him. It was said that a wizard had changed Redscales and made him grow much bigger and be much more intelligent than a regular lizard. He also had special abilities. Not only was he an advisor, but also a wizard. Just like his ruler, it was definitely dangerous to get on his bad side.

As for the town, all of the other buildings were in front of the castle and lined up in two parallel rows. A dirt path ran through the center that led straight to the Town Square and on to the palace. The buildings were mainly homes built from strong oak wood with all of the tiny shops crowded into Town Square. Laura and Spike trotted over to an especially large house and stopped in front of the tall door.

Since it was unlocked, Laura just gave it a shove and it slowly creaked open. She shot inside and closed the door behind her, slamming the door in Spike's face. Inside the house was not as big as it looked. There was a little living room with a couch and an armchair to the right and an average sized kitchen to the left. To the even farther left there was door that led to Laura's infirmary. (This is why the house seemed so big.) Behind the living room was a short flight of stairs that led to the bedroom.

Paying no attention to her surroundings, Laura quickly ascended the stairs and went into her bedroom. It was a little room containing two twin beds. A large window with a window seat underneath sat behind the beds. A set of glass doors was near the window that led out to a balcony overlooking the woodlands below and the distant, snow-capped mountains.

There was a beautiful sunset outside, but Laura ignored it. She had work to do. She grabbed some warm blankets from her hope chest and wrapped the egg in them. When she was finished, she set the egg on the window seat where the sun's last rays warmed it.

Satisfied, she went back down the stairs. By her guess, the egg could hatch at any time. Then Laura would be a mother. A mother at her old age! Since she was sort of hungry, she grabbed a few strawberries form a bowl in the kitchen and headed back up the stairs. She checked the egg and noticed a few tiny cracks forming on the side. She then went over to the glass doors and stepped outside. While she ate, she gazed at the whole scene before her and was filled with awe. The sky was a bright orange dotted with splashes of pink and purple. She sighed happily. Suddenly, a sharp 'crack' knocked her out of her thoughts. Rushing back inside she was just in time to see that the egg was rocking crazily back and forth. Deep cracks had formed all along its sides. It was hatching!


	3. Chapter 3 Names and Strawberries

Chapter 3

Names and Strawberries

(Some of this chapter is written farther back in the past to show what happened after the egg hatched then go on with the rest of the story.)

Laura had been so shocked by the green scaly form that rolled out of the egg that she had screamed. It was a dragon! Laura had panicked instantly. Dragons weren't welcome in Citadel. King Claw hated them and killed any he met. If Claw found the dragon, he would do the same to it no matter how young.

To make matters worse Bloodtracker had decided to drop by for a visit. He was a velociraptor that served as King Claw's tracker. He was like a bloodhound. He could find or track down almost anything. Even though Laura was good friends with Bloodtracker, he wouldn't understand about letting the dragon live. Rules were rules by Bloodtacker's standards.

Unfortunately, it hadn't taken Bloodtracker long to figure out something was wrong. He discovered the dragon and off to Claw's castle they went. Laura had pleaded for Claw to spare the baby's life. Claw's advisor, Redscales, had told him to forget it. Redscales hated Laura and dragons. Who in their right mind would use herbs and medicines to cure sickness when you could just use magic? But King Claw had had another idea. He realized that maybe a dragon could be useful to him.

He spared the dragon's life, but not because of Laura's plea. He also had conditions. First, Laura would take full responsibility for the dragon. Second, no one in Citadel could ever let it know that it was a dragon. Claw claimed it was so it wouldn't feel different or rejected, but that was a lie. Finally, when the dragon was older it had to serve in the palace as a knight and take no other job. Laura had agreed to each condition easily. Claw then had made the same enouncement to the entire population of Citadel. Leaving out the knight part of course. As an added bonus, Claw had given Laura some books about the different types of dragons. They had many chapters filled with information on how to take care of dragons. Green dragons. That would definitely be useful since Laura didn't know anything about dragons.

A week later...

The days were quite uneventful. Laura had thought it would be hard to take care of the dragon, but so far it had been pretty easy. It hardly ever cried and was very friendly, which was a miracle. As Laura read in the books Claw had given her, it didn't take too long for her to realize that the dragon was a green dragon. It certainly had the black horns, green scales, and long wings like any other one had. It also had pale red eyes. Not all green dragons had red eyes though. Unlike most creatures with red eyes, it didn't look evil, just cute. She also soon discovered that the dragon was a boy. This would be interesting.

A while later as Laura sat in the big, comfy armchair in her living room, realization struck that she'd forgot something important. She hadn't named the dragon yet. She called to Spike who was upstairs and asked for his help.

" Let's see, how about Greenscale?" she asked Spike.

He shook his head so hard that Laura thought it would pop off. He growled another suggestion.

" No, we're not calling him Dragonbreath."

" Har nah der ner badisbono," he asked.

Laura sighed, " No, not Redeye either."

He glared at her and pretended to be angry by putting on a pouty face. The dragon yawned. Ignoring Spike, Laura started to look around the room. Her eyes rested on a lit torch that was placed in its holder attached to the side of the wall. Her gaze drifted over to rest on the dragon's scaly wings. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. " How about Torchwing?" she asked Spike.

He thought for a moment then let a small grin spread across his features. He gave a nod of approval. Torchwing let out a small giggle as if agreeing too. Laura and Spike laughed.

The next day Laura decided to take Torchwing out for a walk around the town. He seemed excited and eagerly followed her along, his oversized wings partially dragging on the ground. They went over to the Town Square to the food market. Torchwing seemed to enjoy all of the sites and smells. Laura purchased a tub of fresh strawberries and gave two to him. One of the books Laura had read said that dragons weren't just carnivores. They ate many other things including fruits and vegetables. Laura could tell that he enjoyed strawberries immensely.

As Torchwing was about to eat his second strawberry, he noticed a group of young dinosaurs playing a game of tag in the center of the square. As he watched, he noticed one dinosaur was being left out. It was a small saltopus, a tiny little dinosaur that ate bugs and plants, that sat by itself drawing patterns in the sand with a stick. The little creature was mainly green, but his stomach was yellow and from the tip of his nose all the way down his back to the tip of his tail, he was purple. He wore a sad expression as he created imaginary creatures in the dirt.

Torchwing slowly trotted over to him and sat next to him. He looked up for second then returned to drawing. Torchwing may not have been able to talk yet, but he still had ways of letting the dinosaur know he was a friend. He offered him his second strawberry. The saltopus eyed it hungrily then snatched it from his hand. Yep. Pretty obvious the dino was a boy by the way he devoured the juicy fruit.

When he was finished, the saltopus stood up and faced Torchwing. Feeling the need to give Torchwing something, he held out the only thing he had, his stick. Torchwing took it and smiled at him then went back to stand by Laura who was waiting for him. The saltopus waved goodbye and smiled too.

Laura gazed down at the grinning dragon then asked, " Did you make a new friend?"

Torchwing nodded as they started to make their way back home. And that was how Torchwing became best friends with Salty the saltopus. All because of a strawberry.


	4. Chapter 4 Busted!

Chapter 4

Busted!

A few weeks later, Torchwing could finally speak. He couldn't really pronounce things right, but he still could talk. He sat outside with Salty, who he had become close friends with. They were both enjoying the beautiful, spring day until Salty got bored. Suddenly he got an idea. Pretty much any idea Salty had was fun, a little weird and crazy, and usually got him into trouble.

He nudged Torchwing who was half asleep and said in a high voice, " Hey Torch, wet's go in the Illwusion woods an' bark board."

Bark boarding was a lot like snow boarding. Instead of doing it in the snow, you did it in the grass. What you did was took a piece of strong bark from a tree and fashioned it into a toboggan. Then you greased the bottom of the board with anything that was really slippery. The board could then glide easily down any hill.

Torchwing loved to bark board, but he wasn't allowed to without permission. Although fun, it could be dangerous. Torchwing whined back at the determined saltopus. " But, Salty, we're not supposed ta go there, no matta what. Laura toll me dat it'z filled wid monsters, an' I'm scared of monsters."

Salty waved his paw in the air as if brushing the remark away. " Pff! Monsters. Da grown ups just say dat to keep us from goin' dere cause dat's where da best boarding spot is."

Salty paused then whispered to Torchwing, " Day just wanna half it all to demselves." He stood up energetically then encouraged the lazy dragon. " Now C'mon, grab your board an' det's go!"

Torchwing sighed and got up. He headed slowly back inside.

" Don' let Lauwa see you!" Salty warned.

Torchwing just nodded sleepily and went quietly inside. For once couldn't Salty just sit outside and enjoy the afternoon? Just once? Torchwing left the door open and looked around. The living room and kitchen were empty. It didn't take him long to see that Laura and Spike were with a patient in the infirmary. Stepping soundlessly over to the couch, he felt around under it until his paw touched a smooth wooden surface.

It was the bark board. He pulled it out from under the couch then glanced around. He darted over to the kitchen and jumped onto the counter. He pulled a bottle of oil out of the cupboard then darted outside, closing the door silently behind him. Salty was waiting for him, his bark board under his arm. He motioned to Torchwing and they made their way unnoticed from Citadel.

It wasn't long before the pair reached the Illusion Woods. Torchwing easily noticed the transition from sandy gravel to mossy grass. Even though the woods were beautiful, there was a mysterious feel that surrounded them, making the small dragon nervous.

Soon they arrived at the same pond Spike and Laura had found the egg by. Torchwing walked over to it and peered in. Instead of seeing his own reflection, he saw the head of a large icy blue dragon staring back at him. It had eight icicle like horns on its head, four on one side, four on the other and a kind look in its eyes, but a stern expression on its face. He looked away, blinked and rubbed his eyes, then glanced back down. The dragon was gone!

" Torch! Hey Torch! Ya comin' or not?" Salty yelled.

Torchwing shook himself out of his daze and followed the impatient saltopus. They trudged up a steep, grassy hill and made it to the top gasping for breath. When the young dragon could breathe again, he surveyed his surroundings. There was a beautiful view of Citadel from the summit. He made his way over to a rocky cliff ledge protruding from the hill's side to get a better view. He heard a sigh behind him. Salty could wait a few minutes. Unknowingly, Torchwing was standing in the very spot where his real parents had fought the velociraptors and lost his egg.

" Torch! Quit looking at the view an' bark board!" Salty whined.

Torchwing strode back to his excited friend and smiled. Now this would be fun. They began to grease their boards with the oil from Laura's cupboard and were done in minutes. Something rustled in the bushes behind them. They paid no attention. Something evil hid in those bushes. The creature was black and spidery, not to mention tall. It bared its blood red fangs and waited for its chance to attack.

The two friends still had no clue and lined their boards up on the ground, side by side. They took a few steps back. The creature growled in anticipation. It was right behind Torchwing and began to slowly stretch out a thin hand with sharp black claws on the fingertips. Just as it was about to grab the little dragon, it made a run for its board, leapt onto it, and sped of down the hill. The creature let out a cry of despair then shrank back into the shadows. It decided to leave for it could not be seen or heard.

Meanwhile Torchwing felt like he was flying through the air. He sped faster and faster down, the wind rushing by, and nearby trees a blur. He looked to his right and saw Salty not far from him, yelling excitedly then letting out a "woo!" Finally the boards came to gently rest at the hill's base, and the two fell off their boards laughing.

Not much later, they were zooming down the hill again. But this time, when Torchwing's board stopped, he felt something holding the front of it. Something blue. He stared up into the faces of a scowling Laura and a frowning Spike. He gulped. As Salty's board came to a halt beside the nervous dragon, he too gazed up into the faces of his two unhappy parents, their arms folded. As the troublemakers exchanged a glance only one word came to their minds. Busted!

**Well, that's my story so far. The next chapter is on its way soon and is where the plot really starts to develop. Please R & R, but no flames. Leave that to the dragons. Anyway if there are any questions, just ask. I know some things are kind of confusing, but they will be explained later. Lastly if anyone on here read my story before I changed it, I want you to know that I now include definitions INSIDE the story and have changed some other things too. Can't wait to write more. Cya!**


	5. Chapter 5 A Special Gift

-Chapter 5-

A Special Gift

Torchwing lay on the window seat, staring out the window then letting out a sigh. Laura was furious with him and had sent him up to her room for a while. He had to share a room with Laura and Spike, so the window seat was the only place to go. It was comfortable though. Laura had hated it, but she had had to punish Torchwing. He couldn't see Salty or go bark boarding for a whole week! Plus he had to be accompanied by an adult anywhere he went now. Even just outside.

Torchwing heard the stairs creek. He didn't turn to see who it was, but continued to stare out the window. It was Laura. She approached the little dragon cautiously, not knowing how he would react to being punished for the first time.

" Are you O.K?" she asked.

No response.

" Look Torchwing, I know you're sad about being punished, but you don't have to be with Salty to have fun. I know you're upset, but I want to make it up to you. How would you like to go and explore the road outside of town?"

His face brightened. He'd never even been outside Citadel besides when he went bark boarding in the Illusion Woods. " By myself?" He asked excitedly.

Laura shook her head. " No I'm sending Braggad with you. The road can be dangerous and you could get lost."

The green dragon thought for a moment. Braggad was a brontosaurus who had two kids. Girls. He was a great father and Torchwing liked him from the few times he'd talked to him. " Will Sarah and Lucy be going?" Torchwing didn't like Braggad's daughters.

" I don't know. Probably not." Laura answered.

" O.K. I'll go. Can we do it tonight?"

" No, you need to get some rest. You'll leave after breakfast tomorrow. Now go to bed. It's late."

" O.K. Goodnight Mom."

"Goodnight Torchwing."

Laura tucked him in and kissed his forehead. She blew out the candles by her bed and crawled in her bed. Spike would be up shortly. It wasn't long before sleep enveloped the pair and they slept soundly the rest of the night, the conflict ended.

Torchwing gulped down his breakfast of eggs and fruit and was ready to go. It didn't take long for Braggad to arrive. Torchwing said goodbye to Laura, hi to Braggad, and was out the door in a flash. Braggad didn't talk much as they made their way up the dirt path and out of Citadel. When the reached the road, Torchwing was amazed.

The dirt path they were on wound around a large cluster of rocks protruding from the middle of it and extending into a thick forest beyond. Now Torchwing knew what Laura had meant by getting lost. It looked way too easy in that forest. No one would have to convince him to stay on the path by the rocks.

Braggad seemed to take no notice of the foreboding forest and settled himself down in a patch of grass growing by the cluster of rocks. He looked at Torchwing.

" Well, is this a good spot?" he questioned in a deep voice.

The small dragon nodded.

" Be careful. Laura would have my head if you got hurt." He let out a small chuckle. " She'd probably patch you up and beat me up." He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. " Laura's always wanted a kid, but it's never worked out before. She's lucky to have you. Just be nice to 'er. She's a good creature and I'd hate to see anything hurt 'er."

Torchwing nodded, anxious to explore around the strange rock formations.

" Well, go on boy. Don't let me stop you from havin' a good time. Go have fun. I won't keep ya from it just as long as ya don't git in trouble."

Torchwing nodded his thanks and started to make his ascent up the nearest cliff. An hour later he stood on top of an especially steep cliff, exhausted. He could still make out the large form of Braggad since he wasn't too far away. It wasn't hard to tell that Braggad had fallen asleep. He smiled. The poor brontosaurus was exhausted.

When Torchwing was finally ready to go, he made his way down the rocks and stood by the sleeping dinosaur. He snored peacefully. Suddenly he heard a noise not far away. It sounded like growling. Being curious, Torchwing slowly made his way around the rocks. He darted behind a large boulder and peered out. What he saw made him angry.

A small pterodactyl carrying a brown pack on its side stood cornered in front of a large, flat rock by two large T-Rexes. The pterodactyl was full-grown and a yellowish color, but tiny, especially compared to the T-Rexes. They looked menacing with their sharp fangs and claws. The poor pterodactyl was petrified. As one who didn't seem very bright continued to growl the other spoke in a deep voice.

" Alright you overgrown bat, give us your bag and we won't hurt you."

Even though scared the pterodactyl remained brave and spoke in a strong voice. " No, my pack is of no use to you. I am just a simple traveler. I have nothing of any value to you. Now let me pass."

As he made an attempt to escape, the T-Rexes refused to move. The same one spoke again. " Aww, now you weren't thinking of leaving were you? Not until you give us the bag. If it really is of no use to us then you wouldn't mind if we take a look at it first… Just to make sure." It smiled evilly.

The other T-Rex laughed and smiled a big toothy smile. " Let's kill 'im. 'E's of no use to us anyway." The pterodactyl's eyes widened. " Wonder if 'e tastes as good as 'e looks."

Torchwing couldn't take it anymore. Forget what Laura said about staying out of trouble. The unfortunate traveler needed help, and Torchwing was the only one around to give it. Without warning a harsh growl escaped his throat. He began slowly making his way around the jagged rock he had been hiding behind, continuing his growl.

The T-Rexes both heard the growling and froze in their tracks. " What's that?" the one asked.

" Shut up fool. I can't tell if you keep blubbering on like that," it whispered to the other. " Go see what it is."

Before they could do anything, a dark shadow appeared on the rock the pterodactyl was pressed against. It was huge with long horns. The growling continued and was even louder. It didn't take long for the group to realize what it was.

" Dragon!" the T-Rexes yelled and began to run away into the forest. Wanting to keep his fierce appearance the one yelled back at the pterodactyl, " Have fun with the dragon. I'm sure he won't play nice."

Giving one last laugh the pair disappeared into the thick foliage of the forest beyond. The pterodactyl breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his pack and a small walking stick, which had both fallen on the ground. He heard a noise. Taking on a fighting stance with the walking stick held like a sword he yelled, " Who's there? What do you want?"

Torchwing came out from behind his hiding place. " It's alright. It's only me."

The pterodactyl examined him before asking, " Are you the scary monster those two brutes were talking about?"

" Yeah. I saw you needed help so I tried my best to get them away from you."

" Well I must thank you. If it wasn't for you I'd probably be dead right now. It's a kind creature like you that deserves a special gift."

" No really I couldn't," Torchwing said.

" Nonsense. It's the least I could do for you," he persisted.

Knowing that the pterodactyl had made up his mind, Torchwing finally gave in. Smiling, the little dinosaur pulled a beautiful green jewel out of his pack. It was almost as large as Torching! It was a strange emerald colored stone set in gold with beautiful designs all over it.

The pterodactyl presented it to him. " Please take it. I can't keep it with me anymore. Today's little adventure kind of proves why. I know that you will keep it safe. Now listen, protect this with your life. It's very special and would be dangerous in the wrong hands."

Torchwing stared at the heavy jewel. He only had one question. "What is it exactly?"

He laughed. " It goes around your neck. I don't have the piece that it fits into though. If you ever want it, I hear it's in a village called Carthaway. Near the mountains in the west."

The dragon nodded. " Thank you. By the way what's your name?"

He had a mischievous smile on his face, " You don't need to know my name." He glanced around. " Anyone here to help you with it?"

" Yeah. Braggad. He's over here. C'mon."

The pterodactyl slipped the jewel back in his bag. " You can keep this too. Can't have just anyone see you carrying a treasure like this can we?"

Torchwing walked over to Braggad and tapped his shoulder.

" Huh? Wha the… Torchwing? Who's tha…?" Braggad asked sleepily pointing to the pterodactyl.

" He's a friend. I helped him out."

By this time the tired brontosaurus was fully awake. " Wait, Torchwing, ya didn't wander off did ya? Laura will kill me if she finds out! Why didn't ya wake me up?"

Having sympathy on the poor dragon the pterodactyl interrupted the angry brontosaurus's tirade. " Please sir, I don't think it's very kind to yell at the creature who just saved my life."

Braggad stared at the pterodactyl as if he was crazy then turned to Torchwing. " Ya saved his life?"

The pterodactyl came up behind the small dragon and rested a winged arm on his shoulder. " Yes he did. From a couple of bandits. If it wasn't for him I'd be dead right now. The least you could do is not mention any of this to this Laura person if it will get him in trouble."

Braggad sighed, " Well, seeing as ya saved his life, I suppose I could keep this little adventure a secret. Now let's go. Laura's probably worried sick about ya and I'm sure our friend needs to be somewhere." The pterodactyl smiled at this.

Braggad took the brown pack from the pterodactyl that had offered it to him and began going back down the dirt road. Torchwing turned back to the traveler. " Will I ever see you again?"

The traveler smiled again and had a far away look in his eyes. " Someday, but not any day soon. But I promise you we will meet again."

With that he took off in the opposite direction of Citadel, heading who knows where. Torchwing smiled and happily followed Braggad back home.

**Well that was Chapter 5. Took a while to write. More is soon to come and I hope you enjoyed the story so far. Please R & R. Love to see what you think. :)**


	6. Chapter 6 First Flight

Chapter 6

First Flight

A few weeks passed and Torchwing grew steadily. He was only a head shorter than Laura now and his wings fit his body. He couldn't fly yet though. He played tag with Salty outside who too had grown, but not very much. Saltopuses never got very big.

Torchwing went inside quickly to grab a drink. He heard voices coming from the infirmary. He recognized Spike's usual mumbles and Laura's gentle voice, but the other he just couldn't place. He didn't want to eavesdrop so he went upstairs. Finishing his drink quickly he spread his wings and glided down the spiraling staircase. It was a habit he had just recently developed.

When the young dragon landed at the bottom of the steps, he saw Laura, Spike, and a huge pterodactyl staring at him. Unlike the pterodactyl Torchwing had met on the road this one towered over both him and Laura. It was orange in color with yellow splotches on its head and back and had gigantic wings. It stared at Torchwing with an expressionless eye. He stared back and shook a little. It certainly had an air about it that seemed dignified.

The pterodactyl broke the silenced with a strong voice, " So is this the son you've been telling me about?" He turned to Laura.

Laura nodded.

He strode closer to Torchwing and extended one long wing in a friendly gesture. " Chester Longwing at your service young chap. I'm a friend of your mother's and this spiky gentlemen over here."

Torchwing looked up at him in confusion and silence then over at Laura. Why had he never met this, Chester, before? He knew pretty much everyone in the small town, but not Chester.

" Longwing sure fits," Torchwing blurted out.

" Quite," Chester examined his wings thoughtfully, " A little ironic really."

Laura spoke up seeing the young dragon was confused. " Chester is an old friend. He's been away on a mission for King Claw and just came back today."

Chester seemed surprised. " Yes it is true I went away, but more on a personal mission. As if I would be caught dead doing errands for a bastard like Claw."

Laura frowned, " Chester, I know you don't like Claw, but did you really have to call him that?"

" I supposed not. I guess I need to be nicer in the presence of a child. It's hard with knowing what he did to my father."

" Claw didn't do anything to your father."

Chester ignored her then continued. "Anyway young, Torchwing, is it? Well I noticed you doing a little bit of gliding earlier. Do you know how to fly yet?"

Torchwing's eyes widened. " I can fly?"

" Of course. And by those excellent gliding skills I think it's time you learned. How about it? I'd certainly be willing to show you the basics."

Before he could answer the front door swung open and Salty walked in. He frowned at Torchwing then said, " Hey there you are Torch. I've been looking everywhere for ya." He saw the pterodactyl. " Who's that?"

" Chester, he's gonna teach me how to fly."

Salty looked him over. " Boy, I'm outside for five minutes and miss out on everything. What's wrong with you? Gosh, don't even tell your best friend you can fly? Just like to leave me out of everything now don't ya?"

" Salty, I didn't know either."

" So?" Salty looked at the floor as if embarrassed. " You still could of told me."

" Salty," Torching said.

" Sorry."

Chester cleared his throat. " Well, Torchwing, what do you say?"

" Definitely."

" Wait a minute," Laura chimed in, " do I have any say in this?"

" Well, Laura what DO you say?" Chester asked jokingly.

" I guess," she sighed.

Chester grinned. " Tomorrow then? Noon?"

" Sure," Torchwing agreed.

Chester nodded at Laura then Spike and walked out the door. Torchwing and Salty exchanged a glance then Salty poked him on the shoulder. " Tag, you're it." Salty dashed out the door with Torchwing hard on his heels. " Salty, you are so dead when I catch you!" And that was the end of that.

The next day was perfect for flying. Torchwing met Chester outside and followed him up to a steep rocky hill sitting between Citadel and the Illusion Woods. They stopped on a large cliff high over Citadel.

Torchwing glanced over the edge. " You've got to be kidding me."

" Well think of it this way, if you fall it's easier for me to catch you BEFORE you hit the ground." Chester commented.

" True. Good point."

Chester clapped his hands together. " Well. Shall we get started?"

Torchwing nodded.

" Now we'll start with something simple. Gliding. I think you already know how to right? So just try gliding from here all the way down to the ground over there," he pointed to what seemed to be a very far off destination. "Just try to get a running start first."

Torchwing gulped, " O.K." Before he could stop himself he made a dash for the edge of the cliff and spread his wings as he leapt into the air. After what seemed to be hours, but was only a few minutes, he finally came to land gently on solid ground.

Chester landed gracefully beside him. " Ready to go back up?"

Torchwing sighed and nodded again.

Once they reached the top Chester started off again. " You seemed to get the idea of gliding down. Now let's try flying."

" Aren't they the same thing? Didn't I just fly?"

Chester laughed, " Why if that was flying you wouldn't ever be able to get anywhere that way. No flying is a little harder. Most creatures don't get the difference. See gliding is simply spreading your wings and using them to reach places you normally couldn't or to get safely down from somewhere high up like this hill. Flying is where you can manage to keep your body up at the same height in the sky for long periods of time by flapping your wings instead of keeping them still. Of course it takes practice and as you grow older and practice much more, your wings will get stronger and you will be able to fly great distances. Ready to try it?"

"O.K."

Just as the young dragon was about to take off, they both heard a growl from a clump of bushes not far from them. Chester turned around and got slightly in front of Torchwing. As soon as he did, a dark figure leapt from the bushes and landed a few feet from them. It rose up on two feet and roared. It was the same creature that had tried to kill Torchwing in the Illusion Woods not long ago.

It looked a little like a human and had black, leathery skin and was very thin and ugly. Its eyes, fangs, and claws were all the same bloody red color. It bared its needle like teeth. " Dragon…. Must eat dragon."

Chester took on a fighting stance. " Oh no you're not, you ugly black demon," he snarled. " You'll have to get through me first."

It smiled. " I kill you. Eat dragon." It pointed to Torchwing with a sharp claw.

Chester let out a roar and dashed at the creature. He smacked headlong into it and the battle was on. Torchwing watched in horror as it bit into Chester's shoulder. He screeched in pain. Knowing he had to help the dragon he head-butted the monster and broke himself free of its grasp. He ran to the edge of the steep cliff where Torchwing was. " When I tell you, jump to the right." He gasped.

Torchwing stared at him, " Are you crazy? I don't want to get killed by that thing."

Chester didn't have time to argue. The creature was recovering fast and started to stand back up. " Just do it!" he commanded.

The monster screeched and charged towards them. " Now!" Torchwing jumped to his right just as the monster came rushing past. Chester did the same, but jumped to the left. By the time the creature realized what the two had done, it was too late. It let out a blood-chilling scream as it plunged off the edge of the cliff to its death.

Chester looked over at Torchwing and said, " Obviously I think it's time you learned to fly. Now."

Torchwing nodded as he stared wide- eyed at the twisted corpse barely visible far below them.


	7. Chapter 7 Fire!

Chapter 7

Fire!

Two months passed. Torchwing grew over a head taller than Laura or Spike. He was constantly practicing his flying skills and was getting better and better each day. He landed gracefully beside Salty who was pretty upset that he didn't have wings too. Torchwing didn't comment, but instead suggested that they went over to watch an early morning fight in the Town Square.

There were many young creatures starting their training in service to Claw, so fights were quite common now. Many different creatures fought to see which was tougher, if they had more strength than smarts in a battle, how they attacked their opponent, and how quick their fighting skills were. Torchwing hadn't tried it yet and Salty couldn't do it at all. Saltopuses were always assigned as runners who delivered important messages, so there really wasn't any reason for them to fight.

All the shops were closed that morning and a short wooden fence had been set up in a circle in the center of the Square for the fights. Torchwing picked a good spot to watch and Salty hopped up onto the fence beside him.

" Torchwing!" a voice called out somewhere behind them.

It was Bloodtracker. He waved at them and came to stand next to them. " Hey there you two are. Came to watch the fights again?"

They nodded.

" Well I hate to disappoint you, but unless we get another challenger, there isn't gonna be a fight until noon or maybe even tomorrow. Torchwing, I hate to ask you, but would you consider maybe taking the opening? You don't have to, but you haven't gotten to fight yet, so I thought you might like to."

Torchwing thought for a moment. " I'll do it," he declared.

" Great. Then come with me."

They walked to a spot farther away from the gathering crowd. Bloodtracker whispered in his ear. " I'm not supposed to tell you anything about your opponent since it's supposed to be anonymous, but I will anyway. It's Flit. He attacks wildly and quickly, so be careful. That's all I can tell you, so good luck."

They combed their way through the large crowd back to the center of the Square. It was time for the fight to begin. Bloodtracker opened a gate and Torchwing walked into the ring. A gate opened at the other end and a young T-Rex came through. His smile couldn't help but make Torchwing cringe. It was the same grin that the two T-Rexes on the road had made when they had tortured that pterodactyl.

Bloodtracker blew on a small horn and the battle was on. The object, to pin your opponent for five seconds. Flit roared and began to slowly make his way to Torchwing. Torchwing growled and inched farther away. Suddenly Flit leapt at him and knocked him over. The dragon stood back up quickly and latched on to Flit, trying to send him to the ground. But Flit was fast and kicked Torchwing in the stomach. He bent over in pain.

Flit grinned and punched him in the jaw, sending him crashing to the ground in agony. He stood back up slower this time, but he could still fight. The crowd was cheering loudly. Flit came charging at him again. This time he knew exactly what Flit was doing. He got out of the T-Rex's way at the last minute and grabbed him by the tail as he went by. He jerked on it and sent Flit spinning the opposite way he had been going. Wasting no time he flew over to the stunned dinosaur and delivered a blow with his tail.

The battle went on like this for some time, both great fighters, but neither able to beat the other. They went into another round after a quick break and Torchwing was ready. Flit mocked him from the other side of the ring.

" Come and get me you scaled freak!"

This made Torchwing's blood boil. He felt a burning sensation in his throat as he came pounding towards the dinosaur. Flit used the same trick Torchwing had used on him, but Torchwing knew and easily turned to smack into him. Flit fell under him and kicked up his legs, causing Torchwing to fly off of him. The burning grew stronger.

" Is that all you got lizard breath?" he teased.

Torchwing couldn't take it any longer. The burning was so intense that he had to open his mouth. As he approached Flit cautiously he opened his mouth and roared, flame bursting out as he did. It stunned Flit as well as Torchwing. But Torchwing didn't have time to worry about it now. He had to win.

He ran at Flit and blew a stream of fire at him. The blast was intense enough that the T-Rex fell to the ground covering his face. Torchwing took the moment to leap into the air and come down on Flit. He was pinned.

" One… Two… Three…" Bloodtracker counted as did the crowd.

Flit struggled under the dragon, trying to claw and kick him. Smoke streamed from Torchwing's nostrils as he threatened to blow fire in his face. Flit didn't move.

" Four… Five! Torchwing wins!"

The crowd cheered and screamed wildly as Torchwing got off of the disheartened dinosaur and made a bow. Salty jumped over the fence and ran to his friend at full speed.

" You did it! I can't believe it. Honestly I thought you were as good as dead. Guess not."

Torchwing turned to him. " Thanks for such… um encouraging words Salty," he said ironically.

Don't mention it. Now can we go home? I'm starving. Sitting there watching you on a hard splintering fence is quite exhausting."

The dragon laughed. " Sure."

The two friends walked back to the infirmary, a smile on their faces and a crowd cheering behind them.

But no one noticed as Flit darted away swearing for revenge. He would show that dragon never to mess with him and that nobody, NOBODY beat him in a fight!

**Well, how you like it so far? You've seen Torchwing get busted for bark boarding, receive a mysterious jewel from a stranger, fly, and now fight. Finally our hero can set off on his journey for some answers. Hopefully the next chapter will be up really soon. I'm going away for a few days and if I don't get to put the chapter up, it will be awhile. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed it and please R & R.**


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